Relationship Between Domestic Research and Development Activity and Technology Importation: An Empirical Investigation of Japanese Manufacturing Industries

This paper investigates the relationship between domestic research and development (R&D) activity and technological importation. We estimate the elasticity of factor inputs with respect to input prices using a cost minimization framework and time series data for Japanese manufacturing industries over the 1971–2000 period. The results show that domestic R&D activity and imported technology correlate with each other in the R&D-intensive industries, and the relationship is affected by the characteristics of the industry. Moreover, it is found that domestic R&D activity tends to be correlated with capital saving, while imported technology tends to be correlated with increased capital formation and employment.